Top 3 Reasons to Hire a Certified Pediatric Sleep Consultant
All of us parents have been there. It’s 3:00 a.m., and you have been up with your child all night long. You can’t figure out if she’s hungry, gassy, or just plain tired. You’ve tried everything and you still can’t get your baby to go back to sleep. Bringing her into your bed isn’t an option because it’s not safe, and it’s not even working, you tried it!
The 3:00 a.m. email is one that sleep consultants are very used to receiving. We hate seeing parents so tired, so desperate and so delirious. But it doesn’t have to be that way. With the guidance and support of a certified pediatric sleep consultant, it is totally possible to get your child sleeping better at night.
Top 3 Reasons to Hire a Certified Pediatric Sleep Consultant
Below I am outlining what I believe are the top three reasons to hire a sleep consultant.
There is too much information out there
The amount of information that is available in books, blogs, podcasts, social media, and even from friends can be incredibly overwhelming. A tired parent is not going to have the mental capacity to sift through all of the information that is available to formulate a strategy that will necessarily work for them.
A certified pediatric sleep consultant will take in all the necessary information about the family’s specific circumstances before devising a plan. This plan will be tailored to fit the needs of both the parents and the child. In addition, the plan takes into account the parents’ parenting philosophy, the child’s temperament, and many other factors that may be at play.
Books and blogs have their own agenda
Most written content on the subject of infant and toddler sleep comes with the author’s own agenda or personal beliefs on the topic. While each of these books and blogs has something valuable to say, they often can leave parents feeling judged if their opinions don’t align perfectly with what they have just read. For example, the book you are reading may place a large emphasis on breastfeeding and committing to do so even through the night until a certain age.
If you feel strongly that both you and your baby are ready to night wean, this book may leave you with a feeling of guilt that is completely unnecessary. Or maybe you are formula feeding and this advice doesn’t even apply to your specific situation. As an exhausted new parent, you certainly don’t need to waste time reading content that makes you feel worse about the way you have chosen to feed your baby.
A good sleep consultant’s agenda is to support their clients in a way that feels safe and comfortable for them. Working with a sleep consultant allows the family to receive personalized advice that aligns with their parenting style, and most importantly, to receive this advice without judgment.
Real-time support
The truth of the matter is that all the information that certified sleep consultants have to offer is readily available in books and on the Internet. But the books and internet are not able to answer your questions or provide real-time support. Most sleep consultants include phone calls, email, and text message support to their clients. This proves to be incredibly valuable when you are in the thick of the sleep training process.
It’s always helpful to be able to reach out to the expert when you are questioning if you are doing it right, or how to troubleshoot a short nap or an early morning wake. Your sleep consultant will be happy to help!
Many new moms have friends who could serve as their support system. However, friends typically like to share what has worked for them. Every baby is different and your sleep consultant has likely supported hundreds or even thousands of families.
The guidance and support that you receive from your sleep consultant will be unbiased, and hopefully without any agenda. Our job is to support you to achieve better sleep for your family in a way that works for you!
If you’d like some guidance and support from a certified sleep consultant, please head over to thesnoozefest.com and book a complimentary discovery call with Jayne Havens.
